This time last year!

These pictures are from the 20th April 2012, trees in leaf, blossom on the cherry trees, and lush GREEN grass.

The picture below is from 19th April, just a few days ago.

I don't need to state the obvious but it is evident how the weather affects golf course condition and influences the maintenance practices we carry out on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. I think every golf course will be affected to some degree, we have been very cautious with the practices on the greens, to ensure they are in the best position come some more favourable weather.
The weather forecast for the weekend is for cooler conditions which wont help any growth, however it is possible we may get some rain. To help the density of the turf we applied an extra granular fertiliser application yesterday. By this time of the year we would only apply liquid fertiliser, for the reasons stated in the last blog entry, the latest application was a 4-0-8 granular fertiliser applied at 30g/m giving 12 kg/N per hect and 24 kg/K per hect. Irrigation was then applied to ensure the fertiliser was washed into the soil profile, usual response for this type of fertiliser is within 3 days.